1958 Edsel Corsair

The unique design, the short production life from 1958 to 1960, the history of the Edsel along with some of its accessories are some of the reasons that I wanted to have one of these historic cars in my collection.

I found this car advertised on ebay. The bidding price was very reasonable for its condition. It was restored about 20 years ago in the western states and ended up in a storage shed for about 16 of those years. It is not in show condition but is a good looking car, a great driver and could be put into show condition with just a little work. I’m happy with the car and hope to use it as a driver for tours etc.

In my view this 1958 is the real Edsel. The full original horse collar grill, the push button controls for the auto transmission mounted on the center of the steering wheel, the dash panel instrumentation, the floating speedometer, the rear light arrangements and so on. It draws attention from people when it is driven down the street. I’m looking forward to taking it on some tours/trips during the show season each year.

In the three years that the Edsel was produced by Ford Motor Company, a total of 118,287 vehicles were assembled (Ford Motor had hoped to sell 200,000 in 1958). The three year production was: 1958: 68,046 units, 1959: 47,396 units & 1960: 2,846 units. A total of 6.355 Corsair four door hardtops were produced in the US and Canada. This Edsel Corsair was one of the 487 that were produced at the Canadian Plant and was sold to a customer by a Dealer in Calgary, Canada. A unique accessory that is installed on this car for most of us but is a necessary item for Canadians, is an electric motor heater.

The Edsel was a car that Ford Motor was using to introduce new ideas. In addition to items listed above, I have listed the items below for your info: Floating speedometer that glows when a pre-set speed limit is exceeded, Transmission locks in park until ignition key turned (new with Edsel – still used today), Top portion of seats slant forward to provide shoulder support, Triple-thermostat cooling system (head/block/radiator) during warm-up for increased fuel economy & heater performance (E-475 engine), Front-mounted distributor, coil, fuel pump, oil filter dipstick for easy access, Hood hinged in the front for safety (Although this somewhat limits access to the aforementioned distributor, etc!), Hood release controlled electronically, from inside the car, The front seats were split 60/40 for better driver comfort, Promoted Self-Adjusting brakes as a safe and convenient method of compensating for normal brake lining wear and The 1958 Edsel was the only car to ever have its torque rating (“400” and “475”) displayed on the engine valve covers. Traditionally it’s the cubic displacement or horsepower that’s advertised. (Edsel info from www.Edsel.com.